Stan Lee is officially getting the AI treatment. ElevenLabs announced a new licensing agreement with Stan Lee Universe that allows the late Marvel icon’s voice and likeness to be recreated through artificial intelligence tools.
According to Variety, the partnership adds Lee to ElevenLabs’ “Iconic Marketplace,” a platform where users can license celebrity voices and likenesses for commercial projects. Under the new deal, fans can use an AI-generated version of Lee’s voice through the company’s Eleven Reader app, while visual tools will let users place his likeness into comic-book-inspired templates for non-commercial use.
In a promotional video released alongside the announcement, an AI-generated Lee says, “You know what they never tell you about legends? They outlive the page.”
The move places Lee at the center of a rapidly expanding conversation around AI recreations in entertainment. Estates and rights holders have increasingly begun licensing the rights of deceased celebrities for digital projects, including AI-assisted films, music releases, and branded content.
ElevenLabs already offers licensed voices and likenesses tied to public figures, including Michael Caine, Judy Garland, and David Hasselhoff. Earlier this year, the estate of Val Kilmer also approved the use of AI-generated recreations for an upcoming film following the actor’s death in 2025.
Chaz Rainey, a lawyer and board member for Stan Lee Universe, framed the deal as an extension of Lee’s longtime relationship with fans. “Fans have always told us that when they read his comics, they hear the words in Stan’s voice, and now, thanks to ElevenLabs, we can make that a reality,” Rainey said in a statement.
The company is also launching a monthly audiobook series titled Stan Lee Book of the Month Club, beginning with Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, narrated using Lee’s recreated voice.
The announcement arrives just weeks after renewed attention surrounding Lee’s legacy in pop culture history. During a recent appearance on Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actress Pam Grier discussed her influence on Marvel’s early Black superheroes, saying Lee and other creators drew inspiration from her screen persona when developing characters like Misty Knight and Monica Rambeau.
Comic artists and writers have previously acknowledged Grier’s impact on the visual identity and attitude of several Marvel heroines during the 1970s and 1980s.
Lee’s likeness has already remained active in entertainment since his 2018 death. In 2022, Marvel secured rights to continue using his name, image, and voice across films, television projects, merchandise, and theme park attractions.
